Improvement in machines for cleaning and finishing silk and other threads



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TOBIAS KUHN, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR CLEANING AND FINISHING SILK AND OTHER THREADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 49,280, dated August 8, 1865.

Connecticut,haveinvented a new and useful Improvement'in Machines for Cleanin g and Finishing Silk Thread and other Articles; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My improvements are represented in the accompanying drawings, consisting of three sheets.

. Figure 1, Sheet l, represents a side elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is an elevation of a longitudinal section ta ken on the line rv of Fig. 4. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is`

an elevation of a portion of one end of the machine. Fig. 4, Sheet 3, is a plan view. p

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

The object of this invention is to clean and inish silk thread after it has been spilli, and other articles made of silk, such as twist, cord, and braid, and also thread,cord, and other articles made of cotton, linen, worsted, or other fibrous materials. lt supersedes the process `of cleaning such articles hy means of knives `or sharp-edged bodies, and by means of passing them overaiiame, as commonly practiced. My invention consists, among other things, of a new process of cleaning such articles by means of frictional contact with metallic or other suitable surfaces.

A designates the frame of the machine by I which I propose to illustrate my invention.

B is the main shaft, carrying at one end a driving-pulley, O, and a loose pulley, C', and at the other end a balance-wheel, B.

1) is a large gear-wheel,f1xed on the shaft B within said frame, and engaging with a gear, E, fixed on the inner end of a short shaft, F, whose outer end passes Without the frame, and carries a pinion, G, which drives the train of gearing through which motion is imparted to the spool-shaft N. This train of gearing is designated by the letters H, I, K, and M, xed respectively on the shafts J, L, and N, the shafts J and L being short shafts fixed in the adja- 'cent side of the frame A. The spool-shaft N extends across the back part of the frame, and

carries on the end opposite the gear Ma small pinion, n, bywhich motion is given to a gearwheel, f, that revolves on a shaft projecting from the frame A. The outer face of the gearwheel f is provided with a cam,q, `by which` the guiding-bar p on the top of the frame is reciproca-ted through the vibrating arm L and its iin ger g. A spring, m, presses constantly against the arm liu order to keep its finger upon the cam. l

The guiding-bar p is connected to the arm l by means of a pin extending from the end of the bar into a slot made in the arm, so that the 'I latter may have free play on the pin during its Vibrations. The guiding-bar is piercedwith as many holes as'there are spools h on `the spool-shaf'. The reciprocations of this bar are required in order tol-ay the finished thread in regular courses and evenly upon :the spools.`

The gear-wheel E has a crank which carries a connecting-rod, Q,whose other end is connected to a pin upon the side of a vibrating arm, P, whoselower end is iiXed to a rock-shaft, O, supported in the sides of the `frame, and Whose upper end is connected to one `end of a short connecting-rod, R, whose other end is fixed by a bolt and nut to the lug a of the cleaner c. lts connection withsaid lug is capable of being made adjustable by reason of the elongated slot b, and the upper end of the vibrating arm P is also slotted, so thatthe connection of the rod R with .it is also adjustable. The extent of motion to be given to thecleaner can by this means he adjusted as required.,

- The cleaner c is a traine `reaching across the top of the frame A, and` iitted to `slide back l and forth in ways e e in the top rails of said frame A. The cleaner hereshownis made in four divisions, 1, 2, 3, and `Leach ot' which has a series of spindles, d, the number of which may 4be two or more in each division. l have shown three spindles in each division, because that number produces satisfactory results in cleaning and inishin g silk thread and other articles. The divisions are separated from each other by bars 5, which, with the ends ofthe frame of the cleaner, furnish bearin gs for the` journals of the spindles. The spindles run loosely in their bearings, so that they may be easily revolved by means of the thread or other article to be cleaned, and which is wound around them, as seen in the drawings.

The letter j designates a stationary bar extending across the top ofthe frame A near its right-hand end, which bar is pierced with as many holes as there are bobbinsfr on that end of the machine. These bobbins x are supported on spindles r r', which revolve in bearings formed on the branches of brackets W, extending from the right-hand end ofthe machine.l The bobbins m are secured upon the spindles r r by tightening-nuts in the usual way, and the delivery ofthe thread or other article therefrom is regulated by means of friction-brakes, one for each spindle r y', on the upper ends of levers S S', which are fixed on opposite sides ofthe frame A, and whose shorter ends are held up by means ot' springs U U',

Y depending from eyes, V, which project beyond the top ofthe frame A, said springs being adi jnstably connected to the levers S Sl by means otl screw-bolts and nuts T Tf, so that the pressure on the spindles r r may be varied at pleasnre. 4

The operation ofthe machine is as follows:

The bobbins containing the silk thread orother article to be cleaned are fixed. upon the spindles fr r', and their threads, it they contain thread, are passed through the appropriate holes in the stationary bar j, which holes are so placed as that each is opposite the middle ot one of the divisions of the cleaner. The

threads are thence conducted to their appropri- Y ate divisions ot' the cleaner and -wound around each spindle therein, as shown in the drawings, and are taken thence through their appropriate holes in the reciprocating harp. and thence to the spools h. Motionbeing now given to the shaft B, the spool shaft or spindle N will be rotated, and the threads will be drawn from oft'4 the bobbins x and wound upon the spools It with more or less speed, according to the relative sizes of the geared Vwheels which drive their spindle. While the thre-ad is 'passing over to the spools It the cleaner is reciprocated in its ways c e, and its spindles d are driven back with great rapidity to and iro along the threads which are moved about them, thereby subjecting the threads to an energetic rubbing action several times repeated over every part of the threads, according to the speed with which they are wound up. As the spindles run through the loops ot' the thread they are made to revolve, and thus the strain on the threads is less than it the loops of the threads were passed about stationary bodies.

The effect produced by treating the threads according to this method is to remove the fuzz In cleaning thread and other articles after the usual method-by knives or other sharp-edged instrumentsmuch waste is made, partly occasioned by the necessity that exists for taking out weak'and uneven portions of the strands which have been too much frayed by the instruments. When such parts are taken out the divided thread is reunited by tying, thereby producing a knot in the strand. Much of this waste is prevented in my method. According to the common method, also, the thread or other article is often weakened by the strain put on it in order to even the twist and make the strand uniform, and sometimes it is passed over a flame in order to burn off the fuzz, and sometimes the fuzz is left remaining on it. After going through these processes of cleaning and burning and stretching in the case ot' thread and other articles of silk it is next dyed. But I am -enabled by my process and manner ot' treating thread and other articles of silk to dye them before cleaning and finishing them. The cleaners are placed horizontally in this example; but they may be placed in vertical or in inclined positions without altering the principle involved in my invention, and they maybe disconnected at one end, instead of having both ends resting in bearings. A

The series ot' cleaning-spindles, and consequently the number ot` bobbins in a machine, may be increasedlwith its size; and I have found that a machine with eight series or divisions ot' cleaning spindles willdo the work of about t'ty operatives, each series cleaning and linishing about one pound of tine silk a day.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination and arrangement of the rollers d, rotary shaft N, reciprocating guidebarp, slotted arm l, pin g, and cam q, as and for the object specilied.

TOBIAS KOHN.

Witnesses:

ORRA B. BAILEY, THoMAs McMANUs. 

